Romney playing with Trump-brand fire?

2/2/12 1:30 PM EST

There's no question that there are short-term benefits for Mitt Romney in picking up the backing of "Apprentice" star and real-estate mogul Donald Trump.

Most important, it cuts off free media oxygen to Newt Gingrich that the challenger in the GOP primary badly needs after coming in a distant second in Florida. It helps, at least in the short term, divert attention from the cable-news focus on Romney's comments about "the very poor," taken out of context but still clumsy. And Romneyworld, as Alex noted earlier, has forfeited a bit of complaining ability on being taken out of context after its ad taking President Barack Obama out of context.

Equally significant is that it likely keeps Trump from using his powerful media megaphone to slam Romney on Fox News and elsewhere. Despite the fact that Trump opted not to run, and the unlikelihood that he will going forward, he continues to be a figure of fascination in the press and someone who appeals to some in the GOP's grass roots.

But there are plenty of potential negatives for Romney in standing onstage with Trump.

Already, the DNC is mocking Romney for standing with the man who's signature line is "You're fired!" For a candidate who is battling perceptions that he's an out-of-touch wealthy guy, this doesn't help.

Trump, of course, has never had public discomfort talking about his own wealth that Romney has exhibited.

But it also means that Romney, who turned down the Trump-moderated Newsmax debate in Iowa and who snuck in and out of Trump Tower when he met with The Donald late last year, is going to be asked what he thinks about some of Trump's more controversial stands — like birtherism, for instance. Or whether he thinks Obama needs to make his school records public.

Trump also marches to the beat of his own drum, with a tremendous instinct for what will play in the press. But that doesn't mean he's going to carry the message of the person he's backing.

This raises some red flags for Romney going forward.

On the one hand, Romney's campaign has clearly learned — and maybe overlearned — the lesson that it needs to win the primary before it can start focusing on the general election, so keeping Gingrich down is the main goal. But how Trump's endorsement will be used against Romney by the Democrats going forward is fairly predictable.